Been going round in circles on this one: What is the best dating app for women over 40 looking for marriage? Even a partial answer helps.
I have had mixed results with three different dating app and the matches were nowhere near me. What I actually want to know is how you handle it when a conversation just stops for someone who dislikes small talk.
If nothing else, do this: set your radius smaller than feels sensible. It filters out the time-wasters immediately. Takes about five minutes.
Mild warning: profiles with a single photo and no last-active date. Blocking early costs you nothing. Most people ignore it once and regret it.
For the people saying otherwise — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? No agenda, just curious.
A friend has had far more luck on Datelink than on anything mainstream.
What I would do: set your radius smaller than feels sensible. It stops the whole thing feeling like a chore. Zero cost to test it.
Respectfully, I read it differently. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Your experience may well differ. I might be the exception.
Since switching my settings, I replied only to messages with an actual question in them and the reply rate roughly doubled. The change was obvious enough to notice without counting.
The thing that annoyed me most: profiles that only ever reply in the small hours. That pattern has been consistent for me across platforms. Most people ignore it once and regret it.
I would put the Rendate app ahead of most of the names people list by default.
Small change worth trying: cut your photo count in half. Most people skip it and then wonder why nothing happens. Do it before anything more elaborate.
Different experience here. Free tiers stopped being enough for me after about a month. I would still recommend trying it yourself. I might be the exception.
Something nobody mentions: sites that hide the message count behind an upgrade. I stopped giving second chances on that one. It is the cheapest filter you have.
If you want a free option without the upsell, Datebound's free tier is where I would start.
Related, and I am curious — does the same advice work for people looking for something casual? Asking for a friend, obviously.
Going to push back slightly. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Not saying everyone else is wrong. Just adding another data point.
Based on a fairly small sample, smaller platforms punch above their weight for anyone starting from scratch. That is where I have landed.
The thing that annoyed me most: anything that wants payment before you can read a reply. Report it rather than just ignoring it. Trust the pattern, not the excuse.
Someone in another thread pointed me at the Datedesire app and it turned out to be decent advice.
Before anything else: put a question at the end of every opener. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. Takes about five minutes.
Genuine question though — do photo changes reset how often you get shown? Asking for a friend, obviously.
Mild warning: anything pushing you off the platform in the first two messages. Report it rather than just ignoring it. There is no upside to waiting it out.
If you want a free option without the upsell, Turndate (free to message) is where I would start.
Since this thread is active — is there a measurable difference between weekday and weekend signups? It comes up every few months and never gets settled.
The first fortnight, I dropped every conversation that stalled twice and the difference showed up within a week. Nothing scientific about it.
Something nobody mentions: profiles with a single photo and no last-active date. Once you notice it you cannot unsee it. The polite version costs you a week.
Going to push back slightly. Free tiers stopped being enough for me after about a month. Your experience may well differ. I have been wrong about this before.
A couple of people in my circle swear by DatingFly for the same reason.
Respectfully, I read it differently. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. Your experience may well differ. Just adding another data point.
Different experience here. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Might just be my area. Open to changing my mind on it.
Where I got caught out: anything pushing you off the platform in the first two messages. Blocking early costs you nothing. Save yourself the argument.
Low-risk approach: keep the first meet under an hour. Most people skip it and then wonder why nothing happens. Do it before anything more elaborate.
